I, like many of my clients am living with dogs that are not always perfect. In fact sometimes they are downright frustrating.

I have never asked for my dogs to be robots (although sometimes I think that would be so much easier!) I know that they need to be able to problem solve and figure out what it takes to fit in to the human world, and I try to help them come up with the right solutions as much as I can.

But on some days it is worth noting that even your best 100% is really only a 30%. It is important to remember on those days, not to beat yourself (or your dogs) up. Sometimes all you have to give is 30%. Tomorrow you might be back up to 100 or maybe only 60%.

That’s how life works. It throws you curve balls you were not expecting… Like my Neighbour and his dog (on an  extendable lead 20 feet out) walking at the same time we are trying  to practice “focus” and the neighbour wanting to stop and chat even though I have purposefully guided my down a long driveway in order to avoid the interruption that indeed caused my dog to become barrier frustrated, losing all his concentration, acting like a loon, and I am sure convincing my neighbour I am no dog trainer whatsoever! Sigh…

On the bright side, he did not bark when I left him alone to walk my other dog. Sometimes I feel like dog training is similar to holding one of the plastic water worms. The ones you find in novelty shops that slip out of your hand the tighter you try to hold on, you adjust the pressure on one end and it suddenly shoots out the other!

At these times I remember a book I read called “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. His philosophy is spiritual but grounded in a very basic idea of self and everyone’s being part of the universe not separate from it. The Four Agreements is not life changing, it is really just common sense. But as we all know common sense is not always that common! It is common sense to try your hardest everyday, even if your hardest is not always as affective as it was the day before. But if you try your hardest everyday you have nothing to berate yourself about when things don’t always go exactly to plan. Always give 100%, a philosophy I first internalized when practicing Aikido as a young adult. Ruiz reminded me of that.

Persistence is so important to dog training, giving 100% is not always going to be easy and your results may not always be fast. But it certainly does pay off!

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I look forward to your comments and feedback!

-Marika